AFP news

Spain has signed agreements with Mauritania and The Gambia to strengthen cooperation to combat people smuggling and promote legal migration, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits West Africa in the face of surging migrant arrivals.

The Venice Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with a devilish debut of Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" sequel and a surge of star power for the glitzy competition on the sun-splashed Lido.

Serbia expects to sign a "huge" deal for French fighter jets during a visit this week from France's leader, President Aleksandar Vucic told AFP on Wednesday, in an agreement estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

On a platform near the east Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Anna Dvoryaninova waited for a train she never wanted to take, leaving her home behind as Russian forces push deeper into her native Donetsk region.

Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, is set to learn Wednesday whether he will face charges and even be remanded in custody after his weekend arrest by French authorities over alleged violations at the messaging app.

Equity markets moved cautiously Wednesday ahead of key US data and the release of earnings by tech titan Nvidia that could shine a light on demand for all things artificial intelligence after this year's tech-led markets rally.

The Israeli army targeted four cities in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, launching a major new operation alongside its 10-month-old war in Gaza.

Pacific Island leaders endorsed a landmark regional policing plan Wednesday at a summit in Tonga, a contentious move seen as trying to limit China's security role in the region.

Hundreds of rows of gleaming panels blanket swathes of scrubby sand at sunset in a remote northern Chinese desert -- once the biggest solar farm in the world.

Children returning to school in Poland next week will find a new group of classmates -- Ukrainian children now living in the country who were not previously enrolled in the Polish education system.

In the relatively well-off city of Zwickau, in Germany's former communist east, economic uncertainty and a turbulent history have combined to drive support for the far right ahead of a key regional election.

Voters in two former East German states will go to the polls Sunday in what could be a bad night for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, with the far-right AfD expected to make big gains.

One year after a bloodless military coup that overthrew Gabon's president Ali Bongo Ondimba ending 55 years of family rule, the fate of the former dynasty remains in limbo.

A showdown is brewing over the gender makeup of the next European Commission after member states put forward an overwhelmingly male candidate lineup -- in open defiance of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Among the swanky skyscrapers of India's financial capital Mumbai, hundreds of dangerously dilapidated buildings facing demolition are crowded with families risking their lives rather than braving impossibly high rents.

When the wife of Indonesian snack seller Surya asked why he stopped sending money home to his West Java village, he broke down, confessing to a gambling addiction that had cost him more than $12,000.

Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a revised indictment of Donald Trump, pressing ahead with bombshell charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 US election after losing to Joe Biden.

Iga Swiatek began her bid to capture a second US Open title with an uneven straight-sets win over lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova on Tuesday as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz take their first steps towards a potential semi-final blockbuster.

In Manchester, the northwest English hometown of legendary rockers Oasis, fans on Tuesday were gushing about the seemingly impossible -- the band was getting back together for a worldwide tour next year.

The Israeli military said it rescued an Israeli hostage in Gaza on Tuesday, more than 10 months after he was seized during the Hamas attacks that sparked a devastating war.

Fosir Mia moved to Saudi Arabia thinking he would earn a handsome salary as an electrician, only to find himself hauling steel rods in harsh desert heat for paltry pay.

President Emmanuel Macron faced an uphill battle Tuesday to launch fresh talks over a new government in France, with the political left refusing to take part after he rejected their candidate for prime minister.

UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi on Tuesday warned during a visit to Russia's Kursk nuclear plant that its proximity to ongoing fighting was "extremely serious" following Ukraine's unprecedented cross-border offensive.

British rock legends Oasis announced Tuesday they will reunite for a worldwide tour, as brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher ended an infamous 15-year feud.

The arrest of maverick entrepreneur Pavel Durov has drawn global attention to the importance of his messaging app Telegram for Russian troops and propagandists as Moscow's war against Ukraine grinds into its third year.

Asian markets were mixed Tuesday following a tepid day on Wall Street as traders took a breather from a recent rally fuelled by bets on a US interest rate cut, while oil held gains from a surge caused by Middle East tensions.

US tourist David Madrigal is over the moon after paying $200 for a "vintage" console at a busy Tokyo store that is tapping into booming global demand for retro gaming kit.

Near the heavily fortified border that divides North and South Korea, a monitoring device is working 24-7 -- not tracking missiles or troop movements, but catching malaria-carrying mosquitoes that may cross the border.

Swedish football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who coached England from 2001 to 2006, died Monday at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his agent said.